It Feels Like This
by felena1971
Summary: Will a little bit of Gryffindor courage be enough to take Harry from being the BWL to the Boy Who Got What He Always Wanted? *Thar be fluff ahead...ye be warned* H/Hr Rated T for some very mild language.


A/N1: I'm back!! My only explanation for my long absence is that my personal muse up and left me to run off to Rio with a pair of men who looked suspiciously like Gary Oldman and David Thewlis. Why can't I ever get that lucky? I've been working on projects with my dear, dear friend and partner in crime I'm Just Drawn That Way under our combined pseudonym WordNerds2008. If you haven't checked out her stuff or our cooperative pieces you should…right after you finish this. You'll love them or I'll give you double your money back! But I digress. Without further adieu, I give you my favorite scene from Half Blood Prince…the way I it should have gone. Enjoy!

**Warning: Major fluff alert! I haven't been personally responsible for this much unadulterated fluff since I used to make my sister peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches when she was little.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Harry Potter. I would like to think he would come to me of his own free will rather than having to purchase him.

Harry scanned the room looking for the familiar crop of bushy hair that had come to mean more to him than he realized was possible over the years. It was hard to see anything in the chaos of the post-win party currently in full swing in the Gryffindor common room. His team was well on their way to their sixth straight House Cup with their victory over Slytherin but he wasn't in the mood to celebrate at the moment. Not with Ron trying to swallow Lavender Brown's face.

There, he saw her escaping out the portrait hole. Truth be told, he saw everything she did, how could he not? Merlin, she was beautiful.

Gods, Ron could be such an ignorant prat. Hermione had been pining after Ron all year, and he picked Lavender Brown? Harry would snatch Mione up in a heartbeat. If she'd have him, that was. Being in love with your best friend who was in love with your other best friend was not an enviable position, in Harry's opinion.

For once Harry wanted to be "The Boy Who Got Everything he Wanted" rather than the hero of the wizarding world…. or one third of the Gryffindor Golden Trio… or "The Boy Who Lived." Just one time he wanted to know what it was like to do what he wanted or what felt good instead of what everyone expected of him. Other blokes his age, Wizard and Muggle alike, had girlfriends, drove cars, went to parties and got smashed. Harry couldn't have a girlfriend for fear that Lord Moldypants would find out and terrorize them. Granted, he didn't need a car, he had a broom and an invisibility cloak. As for parties, what did he have to celebrate? He was destined to either kill or be killed by the most soddingly evil wizard in history.

He found her sobbing at the bottom of the tower stairs. Sitting down beside her, he bumped his shoulder against hers, a show of affection that had started between them second year and he'd never thought to stop using.

"He is a complete and utter prat," Harry said softly, hoping his attempt at humor would break through her tears. He'd never been able to handle it when she cried.

"You've no idea," Hermione answered, her voice breaking.

Harry wrapped his arms around his best friend, pulling her in to a tight hug. He hoped he could provide her some small measure of comfort while the rest of their so-called "Golden Trio" was upstairs snogging his brains out when he could ill afford to lose any. He held her close, stroking her hair tenderly when he caught a whiff of her shampoo. Harry realized with a start that it was the same exact floral scent he had smelled when Professor Slughorn had demonstrated the Amortentia potion.

Harry reluctantly released his hold on the object of his silent affection when he felt her pulling back from him. He gazed down at her tear-streaked face when she started to speak again. Even like this, she was beautiful in his eyes. Why did Hermione have to fancy his best friend who was oblivious to her feelings, while he would give anything to have her feel that way about him?

"H-how does it feel?" she asked so quietly he wasn't totally sure he was meant to hear her.

"Sorry? How does what feel?" he asked, confused by her question.

"How does it feel, when you see Ginny with Dean? I know you have feelings for her. I've seen the way you look at her." He heard a note of frustration in her voice and it triggered something in him.

Recognizing he might not get a better chance he gathered all of his Gryffindor courage, leaned down and kissed Hermione tenderly on the lips. Harry had dreamed of doing this for so long that he wanted it to go on forever. Alas, Hermione had other ideas. She pushed him away, spluttering and staring at him incredulously.

"What exactly do you think you are doing, Harry?" she asked indignantly. "I've seen the way you look at Ginny! Why in the name of Merlin are you kissing me?"

Try as he might, Harry couldn't hold back his laughter at the look of righteous anger on Hermione's face. He knew she hated to be laughed at; he just couldn't help himself. "For the brightest witch of your age, you can be really clueless sometimes, Mione," he said when he was finally able to stifle his giggles.

"You think I'm looking at Gin that way? Have you noticed that the only time you see me looking at Ginny like that, you're right beside her? Why, Miss Granger do you think that is?"

Hermione turned away from Harry, her face flushed with embarrassment. Harry knew she hated to be teased like this but he really couldn't believe Hermione thought he had feelings for Ginny. The very idea was absurd. He knew Ginny had harbored a crush on him since her first year at Hogwarts, but all he felt for her was affection similar to what Fred and George felt for her. In his heart, she was his sister and nothing more.

Harry reached out to turn Hermione to look at him again. "Mione, please look at me," he whispered when she refused to face him. "Please, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings when Ron's already trampled them like a herd of wild Hippogriffs. I just can't believe you think I have feelings for Ginny."

"Ron?! You think I'm upset that Ron was giving Lavender a dental exam my parents would be proud of??"

"Um, yeah…you ran out of the common room crying right after Lavender launched herself at him. And you've been pretty obvious about your feelings for him all term. I mean the sighs and the intense looks. Come on, it's pretty plain you fancy him." Harry tried hard to keep the note of bitterness out of his voice.

He could tell he failed when Hermione finally turned to look at him again. Her eyes were snapping like they always did when she was struggling with a particularly troublesome homework question. Harry began to feel more than a bit uncomfortable as she pinned him with her stare. "What did you mean before when you said I was clueless, Harry? I think I deserve an explanation if you are going to question my intelligence."

It was Harry's turn to blush under her intense scrutiny. It was going to take a miracle for him to get through this unscathed. He recalled detentions with Filch he hadn't dreaded as much as he dreaded admitting his feelings to Hermione when he knew she fancied Ron. But there was nothing for it. He needed to just tell her and hope she wouldn't hate him.

"Have you noticed when you see me looking at Ginny _that way_ you're always next to her?"

"What are you on about, Harry? Of course I'm next to her, how would I see it otherwise?"

"That's just it, Mione…I'm not looking at Ginny. I'm looking at YOU!"

Harry waited tensely as Hermione sat in stunned silence. She hadn't laughed or run away, so he counted that as a good thing. She had yet to react at all, which was starting to worry him. The only time Hermione Granger was ever this quiet she was sleeping or preparing to unleash a tirade.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed when Hermione finally began to react. Her face blossomed into the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen and she hugged him as she whispered in his ear, "Tell me again, Harry, how it feels when you look at Ginny?"

Harry felt joy like he'd never known when he realized that Hermione returned his feelings. He leaned down to kiss her, whispering as their lips met again, "It feels like this."

A/N2: A very special thanks to my dear friend Ruby for encouraging me to get this written. And as always love and appreciation to my friend, my co-author, my beta and my very first fanfic wife, I'm Just Drawn That Way!!


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